Singletons warned to be wary of dating scammers

The OFT has joined forces with Western Union and the Metropolitan Police to help stamp out fraud by alerting customers to the risks of being the target of scams. Leaflets have been produced, highlighting typical scams.

But how will people know it is a scam? That is usually the easy bit, according to the OFT, because invariably scammers will ask for money.

While they might not ask for cash immediately, they will slowly build up to it, drawing their victim into a false sense of security. Scammers may use Western Union because it is untraceable asking people to wire them money.

Other scams include the use of a post box address and a telephone number, which is never answered and constantly goes to voicemail.

Dating scammers will offer plausible reasons why they need to be sent money such as "I am stranded abroad and I don't have money for travel".

Other warning signs include the fact that the possible date is young and good looking, but the OFT warns that stolen pictures of others are often used to fool potential victims.

Like the now-familiar Nigerian money scams, the online date might talk a lot about themselves, but never answer any questions because they are sending out standard responses to many people at the same time.

Many scammers originate from overseas, making detection and prosecution difficult, warned the OFT.

Christine Wade, director of OFT consumer regulation enforcement, said: "This latest example of an online scam shows how scammers use legitimate services to prey upon people's vulnerabilities and hopes for companionship to defraud them of their money."

The OFT urges UK consumers never to send money or reveal their bank details in exchange for a date, and never to reveal other personal details such as personal email, home address or place of work.

Pic: JustinC

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